PIMPERNEL SMITH (1941) with Trailer

PIMPERNEL SMITH (1941)Updating his famous starring role from the 1934 film, THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL - Leslie Howard (PYGMALION, GONE WITH THE WIND) plays the seemingly absent-minded Cambridge archaeology professor, Horatio Smith who secretly rescues intellectuals, artists and humanitarian opponents from the clutches of the Nazis. Traveling to Berlin under the guise of conducting an archeological dig for remnants of an ancient Aryan civilization. Armed with a band of students - Smithcagily engages in a game of cat and mouse with the commandeering General Von Graum (deliciously acted by Francis Sullivan) while unexpectedly becoming smitten with the daughter (the strikingly lovely Mary Morris) of one of his rescues. Throughout the proceedings the always elegant Howard exudes intelligence, wit and a delightfully understated sense of humor. The film was an intensely personal project for Howard (who also produced and directed) and his portrayal of blundering, but nonetheless dangerous, top-level Nazis is nothing short of brilliant. His own exquisite performance ends with one of the most stirring monologues ever committed to film. And as tragic irony would have it, Howard met his demise just two years later at the hands of the antagonists he so strongly rallied against in this film. The theatrical trailer for PIMPERNEL SMITH is included on this disc.